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It’s a phenomenon you might be familiar with if you’ve ever boarded a plane on a humid day. Hot, stuffy air from outside meets cold air from inside that comes out of the aircraft’s air conditioning vents – temporarily creating what appears to be mist or mist inside the cabin.
A few weeks ago, TikTok user Savannah Gowarty posted a video of fog and condensation on board a US domestic flight. The video has garnered more than 13.1 million views, with surprised and confused commenters questioning what was going on.
Short answer: It’s a natural occurrence that usually lasts a short time and is nothing to worry about.
“On hot, relatively humid days, cool air from the aircraft’s air conditioning system mixes with the warmer, more humid air in the cabin and reduces it to the dew point, creating fog,” said a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration. Aviation (FAA). CNN Travel.
“Fog is usually short-lived as the cooled air quickly warms above the dew point.”
Scientific explanation
When a plane is waiting on the ground before takeoff, the air in the aircraft’s cabin is kept cool “either by an external air conditioning unit on the ground or by the aircraft’s own Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), as the carrier explains. voice of the FAA.
“Both provide cool air (generally much colder than ambient temperature), which can temporarily lower the dew point of aircraft cabin air enough to create fog.”
Climate scientist Indrani Roy, who works at University College London, says the environment on board a plane also creates perfect conditions for condensation in the cabin. This is why cabin surfaces – and people – can feel damp. Condensation occurs when water vapor in the air – which is “prone to sticking,” as Roy says – comes into contact with any colder solid surface, and there are many solid surfaces inside an aircraft.
“Condensation is therefore more likely on the cold areas of the cabin’s solid surface,” says Roy.
Roy also emphasizes that neither the fog nor any resulting condensation is “cause for alarm.”
But while moisture-fueled fog is perfectly safe, passengers can sometimes be “worried,” especially when they experience it for the first time, says US-based flight attendant Rich Henderson.
It’s usually because they mistook the fog for smoke, Henderson told CNN Travel.
“But a quick explanation usually helps calm any nervousness they might have,” says Henderson, adding that, generally speaking, passengers “don’t get very upset very often.”
“Most of them are just confused about what it is. But once you explain to them that it’s just the condensation of cold air from the aircraft’s air conditioning system meeting the warm, humid cabin air, they understand very quickly.”
Passengers also tend to see the humorous side, adds Henderson.
“I often make a joke that it’s like we’re in an 80s music video and that usually makes people laugh quickly.”
Disappeared in seconds
For flight attendants, judging whether passengers prefer a slightly longer scientific explanation or a shorter, more humorous approach is part of the skill set they hone on the job. Henderson says these soft skills aren’t something that’s actually taught in training, but it’s something you learn quickly when you interact with different people, with different perspectives, on a daily basis.
Anything that is “unfamiliar to passengers can cause some anxiety from time to time,” says Henderson – pointing to unexplained noises or engine sounds as another culprit.
“A simple explanation and a little joke usually does the trick.”
So there you have it – airplane fog is nothing to worry about, and just a chance for you to embrace your inner 80s pop star.
And while you may be worried that fog will ruin your drying, “aircraft cabin fog generally dissipates very quickly,” the FAA spokesperson explains.
“This is due to the fact that the cooler air (which lowered the cabin air temperature to the dew point) quickly heats up above the dew point. When this happens, the fog will disappear.
Often the mist only appears when it comes out of the vent, exists for 1-2 seconds and then disappears.”
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